All the Difference
by mystery writer5775
Summary: Will Shane never went missing. It sets a chain in motion to change how the characters grow. Starting with young Eli Shane. A thirteen year old who is simply tired of secrets and wants to see the world his dad talks about. This is the story about how Eli ran away to Slugterra. And was caught in the middle of a sinister plot involving Ghouls and Dr. Blakk.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is an idea I've been toying with for a while when I thought of how different things would be if Will Shane hadn't disappeared. Then things kind of spiraled. The first chapter is a bit short but it's just a prologue. The other chapters are in some cases quite a bit written. It's not complete but I do have about twenty to thirty chapters pre written. I just hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Don't own Slugterra**

13 year old Eli Shane frowned as he watched his dad move around the kitchen with more than just a hint of uncertainty "Cupboard to your left." Eli stated in a bored tone.

Will Shane chuckled sheepishly as he moved to the cupboard in question to pull out bowls. He then looked around in confusion. Eli couldn't stop his groan as he got to his feet, moving around the kitchen to get out the breakfast supplies. Will Shane chuckled sheepishly "Guess it's been a while since I've been home. Hasn't it?" he asked.

Eli nodded "Yeah. But if your so worried you could take me with you this time?" he hinted.

Will Shane shook his head firmly "Not till your fifteen. We already talked about this." he said.

Eli couldn't stop the annoyed glare he shot his father "Then won't you at least tell me something about Slugterra? Not just these hints you occasionally toss out." he said in annoyance.

Will Shane sighed at that, looking at his son solemnly "Eli, the things I keep from you are to protect you. You are a Shane and once you go down to Slugterra you will be in danger because of it. You need to understand that I am simply protecting you." he said softly.

Eli scowled, backing away from his father "I don't need protection. You don't even need to tell people I'm a Shane. I can do this." he said angrily.

Will frowned, not appreciating the tones from his son "You will do as I tell you." he said firmly.

Eli scowled "Why should I?" he demanded.

Will Shane frowned as he grabbed his sons arm, trying to get him to understand "Slugterra is dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt. You mean to much to me." he said.

Eli just scowled as he yanked his arm from his fathers grasp "Do I? If I truly meant so much to you, you wouldn't just abandon me here every time you left. Don't you get it? I'm alone. I have nobody here. No friends, no family-"

"You have your uncle." his father cut in sternly.

Eli scoffed "He's never here. I could disappear tonight and he wouldn't even notice. I have nobody. Not since mom vanished and you left" he accused.

He couldn't help it. He was sick of the secrets.

And just like that he had a plan.

He straightened up, his eyes blazing "You know what? I'm done." he said, leaving the kitchen and walking up to his room.

Quickly and methodically he packed some clothes and supplies. He needed to do this. He needed to show his dad he was ready. If not to become a Shane then to brave Slugterra. And he would do so as Eli. Just Eli. He'd show he had what it took.

line break

Eli quickly snuck out his window, landing clumsily on the ground. He couldn't stop a slight groan as he climbed to his feet, shaking it off as he ran to the sewer, quickly climbing down in it. He glanced around before spotting the symbol the knew so well. The symbol of the Shane's and the symbol of Slugterra. He pressed it, causing the chair to appear. He sat down, quickly activating the buttons he needed. But before he could press the last button something landed on his hand.

He looked in confusion at the thing until he realized it was his dads slug "You can't stop me Burpy." he said.

Burpy crooned in understanding, rubbing his head against Eli's hand.

Eli smiled at that, petting the slug affectionately "Get back to my dad. I'll see you around." he said softly.

Burpy nodded with a croon, jumping off and waving at Eli. Eli gave him a little wave back before hitting the button, disappearing into a world he had only heard stories about.

He was on his way to Slugterra.


	2. Chapter 2

**I realize the last chapter was short so I decided to post chapter two a little earlier than I planned. I will however quickly say this. I am going to keep fairly close to the series while changing it up to my tastes. You will notice some things have changed but first I would like to point out that Eli is only thirteen. He's smart. That much we see in the series. But he is still just a kid. He's just doing what he can. I will also tell you that the rest of the Shane Gang will join them. It will just take time. After all they won't be in the same locations they would be in two more years. Anyways, please tell me what you think. This is my first try at a Slugterra fic.**

 **I don't own Slugterra**

Eli grinned as he came in above Slugterra, setting his sights on the world for the first time. He grinned widely, already going through the little things he knew about Slugterra.

Don't let people know where you are from.

There was a hide out near the landing zone.

His dad had mentioned keeping extra blasters and clothes and while the clothes would be nice he had a feeling it would make people more likely to recognize him.

No.

His first move would be raid for supplies. Second would be find some slugs and a hide out. While adding in his own little rule to the Shane rules.

Never tell anyone your a Shane.

That would be the biggest rule he would have to follow. After all, if word got out he was a Shane his father would be able to track him. And that was not something he would have happen. He would not go back to the surface. Quickly he made his way to the hide out, determined to get in and out before his dad knew he had left. He still wasn't sure if Burpy was going to help him after all. He was still his fathers slug after all. So in Eli's mind it was only a matter of time. He needed to get out of there quick.

He hurried through the doors, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the beat up state of the hide out "Obviously dad doesn't use this base." he grumbled.

He then shrugged "More reason that he won't miss anything." he commented.

He opened the gun case, smirking as he saw a blaster and belt, quickly putting them on. He then noticed an orange back pack and grabbed it, smiling as he saw it was a slug carrying case. He grinned as he slipped it on, stopping as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He still looked like his dad. With a frown he reached up, messing up his hair before looking again.

This time he was satisfied with how he looked. He still looked similar to his dad but he looked different enough. As long as nobody saw them next to each other then nobody would be able to tell. Not that he would let that happen any time soon. He grinned as he entered the garage, hoping for some sort of transportation. He felt confused as he spotted an odd tarp covering something. He walked over to remove it, coughing at the dust it uncovered.

He then grinned as he saw the wolf like mecha beast "LKE model huh? Lucky it is." he said, glancing around and spotting some spray paint.

He quickly grabbed it, changing the color to black and purple "Much better." he said.

He then mounted the mecha, heading out of the hide out in preparation to start a new life.

He directed the mecha under the hole he had dropped out of "Looks like this was a one way trip for now." he said.

He then grinned "But I wouldn't have it any other way." he said eagerly, riding off into the distance.

line break

Eli grinned as he rode along the road, enjoying the sights. He could see all sorts of slugs every wich way. Slugs he had only heard about and seen pictures. But now they were real. There were fandangos and floppers aplenty with the occasional hoverbug thrown in.

Suddenly he stopped with a grin, seeing a group of slugs that was well known to him. "Tazerlings!" he said excitedly.

He grinned as he stopped his mecha beast, slowly approaching the tazerlings.

Immediately most of them scattered, leaving a small handful "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I was just wondering if any of you guys would like to join me. I've never been to Slugterra and it would be nice to have a friend." he explained.

The five remaining tazerlings exchanged unsure looks but then one of them chirped, cautiously bounding up and into Eli's waiting hand.

He grinned as he pet the slug "Your a pretty cool little guy. How does Joules sound for a name?" he asked. The slug chirped happily, readily agreeing with the name.

Eli smiled at that, holding out a canister "And I hope you don't mind but I've been waiting to fire a slug since I was really little. Is that alright?" he asked.

Joules nodded in confirmation, jumping in the canister and getting ready to be fired.

Eli grinned as he shot upwards, releasing the newly caught tazerling into the sky, grinning madly as Joules flew around, releasing sparks everywhere. Eli grinned "You are awesome!" he said eagerly.

He laughed as Joules landed on his shoulder, allowing them to continue on their quest. As luck would not have it however they didn't get far.

"Help!"

Eli frowned, hearing the sharp plea.

Quickly he sobered up, racing towards the cry. In no time he could see black smoke in the distance and he rode towards it. Once he was close enough his eyes narrowed at seeing it was a town on fire. He couldn't help his annoyance. Wasn't his father helping keep the crime down? He couldn't help but think that's what his father always told him being a Shane was about.

Protecting the peace. "Hand over all of your slugs and nobody gets hurt. That's an order!" a deep gravelly voice shouted.

Eli frowned as he dismounted the mecha, slowly creeping towards the town.

There was several men in matching black suits and they were being lead by two heavier brunettes directing the men. "It's awful. Isn't it?" a voice asked.

Startled Eli looked over to see a red headed girl who looked just a little older than he was. "What's going on?" he asked.

She glared at the men "It started about three years ago. They started taking slugs from people every time the Shane disappears to who knows where." she explained darkly.

Eli looked at her in surprise "Has any one told him?" he asked.

The girl scoffed "Some body tried to. But there wasn't any proof. And they are very good at picking out when he leaves." she said darkly.

Eli frowned, looking at Joules "What do you think Joules. Should we help them?" he asked.

Joules nodded, earning a surprised look from the girl "Your not actually thinking of fighting them are you?" she asked.

Eli nodded in determination "Someone has to help." he said.

The girl nodded at that, a smirk growing on her face "I like the way you think." she said.

she then held out her hand "Names Trixie Stinger. I'm a novice slug slinger but I'll do what I can to help." she said.

Eli nodded "Name's Eli. just Eli." he said.

Trixie nodded "Well then 'just Eli'. Ready to kick some henchmen butt?" she asked.

Eli nodded, standing and aiming his blaster at the men He launched Joules in a flurry of electricity, shooting him right through the men. He smirked as Joules zapped all of the men, leaving Trixie to launch her arachnet slug at them, effectively capturing all of the men. Immediately the towns people began cheering as the two made their way down.

But Eli had his attention on Trixie "How many other towns are like this?" he asked.

Trixie shuddered "Too many. Not to mention roads and what not. They only attack when the Shane is not in sight." she said.

Eli nodded, looking down at his blaster "So I would be a prime target." he said quietly.

Trixie nodded "But not without me your not. I want to stop this. And I can film every second to make sure the world knows there is someone knew helping out Slugterra." she said eagerly.

Eli blanched at that "On one condition. You can't film me. I can't appear on any sort of film for a while. Please." he said.

Trixie raised an eyebrow "Why not?" she demanded.

Eli shifted uncomfortably "I...I kind of ran away from home. And I know my dads out looking for me but I come from a cavern that's completely out of the way from anything. I had only ever seen my dads slug before coming here. And if he finds out where I am then he will come looking for me. I won't be able to help and there is always a small possibility I may not be allowed back. For sure not for another two years." he explained quietly.

Trixie stopped, giving him a look that bordered between understanding and sympathy "Understandable. And I'll take you up on that condition." she then held out her hand "Partners?" she asked.

Eli nodded "Partners." he said, shaking her hand.

It seemed like not a moment to soon as the town descended on them, congratulating them and asking questions.

Trixie gave him a reassuring look "Thi

s is..." she paused, glancing back at him questioningly "Uh...Pronto." he blurted out.

Trixie raised an eyebrow "You sure?" she asked.

Eli nodded and she srugged "This is Pronto. He's going to help stop these goons and help protect Slugterra until the Shane can." she said.

The towns people all grinned, muttering amongst themselves.

Suddenly a little girl came up, tugging on Eli's arm to get his attention "Your dressed awefully funny mister Pronto. Where are you from?" she asked.

Eli smiled sheepishly "I'm from pretty far away. It's pretty remote and not many people go there." he explained.

The girl nodded happily "Okay." she said.

She then turned to Trixie with a giggle "You might want to help him out." she said.

Trixie nodded "I will." she said in amusement.

She then glanced at Eli "You got a mecha?" she asked.

Eli nodded, pointing up to where e had left it "Yeah. It's up there. You?" he asked.

Trixie nodded, running over to one of the houses and grabbing her cat like mecha.

Eli grinned "Awesome." he said.

The two then quickly said their good byes, making their way up to Eli's mecha.

She whistled in appreciation at seeing the black and purple mecha wolf "Nice ride. Where'd you get it?" she asked.

Eli rubbed the back of his neck "I kinda stole it from my dad. He had it laying around under a dusty tarp so I'm assuming he wasn't using it any time soon." he told her quietly.

Trixie nodded "Gotcha. So what first? How many slugs do you have?" she asked.

Eli held his hand out, allowing Joules to jump from his shoulder "This is Joules. So far he's my only partner." he said.

Trixie gave him an odd look as he mounted his mecha "So one, you only have one slug? Seriously? And two, you name your slugs? Nobody names their slugs. I mean rumor is the Shane does but other than that it's unheard of. And weird." she said.

Eli shrugged "I can't help it. I've been raised to look at the slugs as a team. I view them as my team. And doesn't every team member deserve a name?" he asked.

His red headed companion nodded unsurely at that "I guess." she said, moving to lead the way with her mecha.

She then fell silent, staring at Eli with an odd look. Eli frowned at the look, not entirely sure on what the look was for. He felt nervous. Was it possible she was figuring out who he was?

He sincerely hoped not. "Everything okay?" he asked.

She nodded "Yeah. Just trying to figure out your outfit. You stick out like a sore thumb." she said.

Internally the young Shane sighed. His outfit. It was a surface world outfit after all. Of course it would stick out.

"What do you suggest?" he asked.

She cocked her head "What do you have on under the jacket?" she asked.

Eli frowned as he pulled it off, showing his plain black shirt.

She nodded "That's actually much better. Stick the jacket in the storage compartment. You might need it later. Some of the caverns get pretty chilly. But as for now your good." she said, nodding in satisfaction as he readjusted his gear.

He nodded unsurely, feeling a little odd without his hoodie.

But even he had to admit it stood out a little to much. "So where to first?" he asked.

Trixie grinned "First, to find you some more slugs." she said easily.

Eli nodded happily at that "Sounds like a plan to me." he said happily.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It was a pretty fun one to write and I enjoyed it thoroughly. In fact I've enjoyed writing a ton of this. I will warn that at this point it starts to take after the series to an extent. And he will meet Kord and the real Pronto eventually. But you have to remember this is a few years before he actually joined Slugterra in the series. You can't expect everyone to be in the same position they had been. I mean if they were living in towns yes. But travelers like the Shane Gang we know and love? So they will appear. Just...on their time.**

 **Don't own Slugterra.**

Two weeks later saw Trixie and Eli travelling casually as they continued their quest to help Slugterra. Eli had so far managed to collect a small arsenal of slugs. He had managed to find an armashelt named Banger, a bubbaleone named Sudds, a polero named Bolo, a flopper named Noodle, a frostcrawler named Chiller and a lavalynx named Burner. And he was feeling pretty good about himself. They only had one problem...

"So...any ideas for a good place to use as a hide out?" Eli asked.

After all, he may have been in Slugterra for two weeks but he definitely gave the reigns to Trixie to direct. She was much more familiar with the territory.

Trixie however frowned "I've been trying to think of a place but so far my mind is drawing a blank. I mean, you've managed to some how get us the supplies but we are no closer to a base." she said.

Eli shifted uncomfortably. Truth was he had snuck back to his dads base and snagged a few more supplies that they had desperately needed. What worried him was the last time he had been there the base seemed a bit more cleaned He worried that perhaps his dad had begun frequenting the base. If that was the case he needed to be careful going back.

Trixie then groaned "Not to mention we need to get you a new blaster." she said in annoyance.

Eli frowned, glancing at the blaster he had taken from his fathers base "What's wrong with my blaster?" he asked.

Trixie raised an eyebrow "Uh...that thing is trash. Not to mention your slugs are getting pretty powerful. Joules and Banger in particular. It's only a matter of time before it blows up in your face. Literally." she said dryly.

Eli frowned at that, grabbing the blaster and lifting it up to look at. Admittedly in just weeks it was already showing wear and tear. It had worried the young Shane but he didn't want to mention anything unless he was imagining things "But how much would that cost? I can't help but think we should save up for a base first." he pointed out.

Trixie frowned at that "Unless perhaps we got your blaster merely upgraded." she commented.

That made Eli's heart leap "A blaster upgrade?" he asked.

Immediately his mind began going through the possibilities. He could already imagine how cool of a blaster it would look. "Where do you get a blaster upgrade?" he asked.

Trixie smirked "Well there are several shops but you are surprisingly powerful. You've got talent you just need to learn. I'd almost say you have potential to even beat the Shane in a few years." she said in wonder.

Eli looked surprised at that "Seriously?" he asked.

Become stronger than his dad? That would be...amazing. His thirteen year old mind could barely process it. In all the stories he had heard of Slugterra, and all of the stories he had heard of the Shane since being here he knew his dad was powerful.

"So...what do you suggest?" he asked, looking at Trixie eagerly.

Trixie grinned "There's a place. In Quiet Lawn Cavern. His name is Red Hook." she told him.

Eli frowned thoughtfully "That sounds awfully familiar." he said.

His red headed companion nodded "It should. From what I understand he has helped numerous slug slingers throughout the years. Even the Shane." she said.

Finally Eli recognized the name. If he recalled correctly Red Hook was the name of the man who made his dads gun. That made him a little more hesitant. There was no telling if this man would recognize him or not. "Are you sure there isn't another route?" he asked.

Trixie frowned "I'm positive. Trust me when I say Red Hook is your best bet." she said.

Eli shifted uncomfortably "If you say so." he said uncomfortably.

Trixie gave him a look of exasperation "What now?" she asked.

Eli shook his head "I think he may have been a friend of my dads. And I just...I don't want to give this up. Slugterra I mean. Which he might make me and I'm afraid of that. I don't want him to find me." he said, feeling small.

Trixie sighed "Even still. Red Hook is your best bet. Trust me on this. Maybe if you offer to do him a favor then he can keep your secret. And that's even saying he does recognize you." she pointed out.

Finally the thirteen year old sighed "Alright. In that case we'll go see Red Hook." he said quietly.

Trixie whooped happily "Sweet! Hopefully I can get my blaster upgraded as well. Do you have any idea how nice it would be to have a stronger blaster?" she asked.

Eli gave her a small smile at that. he was still unsure but it was nice to see her enthusiasm "So which way do we go?" he asked.

Trixie pointed north "Bout a days ride that way. Come on. We'll make camp for tonight and ride out in the morning." she said.

Eli nodded, jumping to the ground and rolling out a sleeping bag he had snagged from his dads place. Trixie pulled out hers as well, rolling it on the ground "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." she said.

Eli nodded in agreement. It was time to get some sleep. He had a long day ahead of him.

break

The next day they reached Quiet Lawn Cavern near evening. It was...definetly quiet. "So why do they call it Quiet Lawn Cavern?" he asked.

Trixie frowned, pointing up at the large arch above the town "It's because of them." she said.

Eli glanced up, shivering at the sight of hundreds of grenuke slugs hanging above the town. "Hard to get some peace with those things above you." he commented dryly.

Him and Trixie continued to walk through town, making their way towards where Red Hook's was. Around them people were closing their doors in fear. Trixie sighed "a lot of towns have been getting like this. unless the Shane's around it's hard to get peace." she said bitterly.

Eli frowned, wondering for the hundredth time just what his father was doing to miss this. Red Hook's home seemed much like the rest. Quiet, peaceful, and a little run down. Eli frowned as he dismounted "And you are sure he'll help us?" he asked hesitantly.

Trixie shrugged "Not sure to be honest. But I can most certainly try. If not we'll just have to save the gold and hope for the best." she said casually with a shrug.

Eli shrugged at that, accepting the answer as they both walked up to the door, Trixie knocking promptly "Now just leave the talking to me." she said.

Eli nodded as an old man opened the door, his left arm ending in a hook "What do you want?" he demanded.

Trixie grinned "We were hoping for a blaster upgrade. My friends blaster is in desperate need of it. Before it blows up preferably." she explained.

Red Hook frowned before looking at Eli with a raised eyebrow "You look familiar..." he said slowly.

Eli shifted nervously, ruffling his hair a bit more "Not sure why sir." he said hesitantly.

Red Hook scowled at that, holding out his hand for Eli's blaster. Eli handed it to him, unsure of what to say. Red Hook scowled as he studied the blaster "This is trash. I don't fix trash." he said.

Eli sighed "Yeah. That's what Trix said." he said softly.

Red Hook frowned "What's your name?" he asked.

Eli cringed "Pronto." he said, giving the name he had given Trixie's town.

Red Hook shook his head "I can't help you." he said.

Eli sighed heavily "Well, thank you anyways." he said.

Trixie scowled, punching his shoulder "You give up to easily." she said angrily.

Eli raised his hands in defeat "Sorry..." he said defensively.

Suddenly a blast shook the cavern and both slingers turned, trying to see what was going on. Red Hook hurried passed them, going to the bottom of the steps "What's going on?" he demanded.

A man ran up to them, gasping and panting for breath "There are men...attacking the cavern. Three of them. They are going to knock down the grenuke slugs." he said desperately.

Eli and Trixie frowned as they exchanged determined looks. Eli turned and took his blaster back from Red Hook "I'm sorry but I need that back." he said.

Red Hook frowned as Eli turned away "Are you...sure I don't know you from somewhere?" he asked.

Eli hesitated before nodding "Yeah. Yeah I'm sure. C'mon Trix." he said, motioning for the girl to follow him.

They quickly ran towards town, readying their slugs. The younger of the two men watched them in confusion before turning to Red Hook "Do you know them?" he asked.

Red Hook frowned in contemplation "I might..." he said quietly.

break

Trixie and Eli frowned as they ran towards the town, seeing the three men the people were taking about. They all had armashelts that they were shooting around. Eli scowled as he took aim, launching Joules to shock the people and gain their attention. They turned to him with a glare "Who are you?" the seeming leader demanded.

"Pronto. My name is Pronto." Eli said firmly.

The man sneered "Well, Pronto, I hope you are prepared to scram. We are the Hooligang and we were ordered to come here by Doctor Blakk. So if you have a problem with us you have a problem with him." he said confidently.

Eli raised an eyebrow and glanced at Trixie who looked equally confused "Blakk? Of Blakk Industries? What does he have to do with all of this?" she asked.

The man sneered, pointing his blaster at them both "It doesn't matter because you two aren't making it out of here." he said.

Eli smirked "That's where your wrong." he said.

He then lifted his blaster "I challenge you to a duel." he said firmly.

The man laughed "Alright. But how about a trick shot challenge. See who has the best trick shot." he said.

Eli nodded "You're on." he said.

Trixie's eyes widened "What are you doing?" she hissed.

Eli shook his head, glancing at Joules "We can do it. Just you watch." he said.

The leader laughed again, amused that a little twerp would challenge him. He then twisted, shooting three mailboxes through with one of his armashelts. Eli replied by turned and launching Burner, neatly filling twice as many mailboxes with lava without even knocking them down. Once more the Hooligang leader scowled "First to hit the flag pole." he said, pointing.

Eli smirked, releasing Bolo while he released an armashelt. Bolo quickly knocked the slug out of the way before wrapping around the flag pole.

"Again." This time Banger was the one who hit the smaller armashelt to the side.

"Again." Next it was Chiller. Then Burner, then Joules.

Finally the man scowled, looking at his slugs "Well at least I still have you. Time to see what you can do." he said, pulling out his one different slug.

But to Eli's alarm he turned it on him. Quickly he loaded Suds, shooting to try and misdirect his aim. To his luck however the new slug did... "Nothing? No explosion, no hit! You are useless!" he shouted.

For the moment the new slug had bounced off of the bubbaleone it reverted back to normal, chirping happily. The leader scowled "You are absolutely useless!" he shouted.

He stormed to the slug with a look of fury plastered on his face "I have no use on my team for a useless slug!" he said angrily, raising a foot above the terrified slug.

But when he stomped down it was on something much firmer than a slug. Eli winced as the man pressed down on the hand that had narrowly pushed the slug out of the way. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.

Eli looked up at him with a glare "Protecting the slugs." he said fiercely.

The man scoffed, stepping back before kicking Eli in the chest. Eli winced but moved to grab the slug, backing away with a wince.

He then smirked as his slugs gathered around him, ready to defend "I'd suggest you leave now." he said angrily.

The three gang members scowled "You will be sorry." he said.

Eli just stayed silent, raising his blaster upwards and shooting Joules. He then winced as the gun sparked but it was enough to send them packing. As soon as they were out of sight he yelped, dropping the hissing gun as it shot out sparks "Well that's the end of that blaster." he said in annoyance.

Trixie nodded worriedly "And I have a feeling they'll be back. We need to get you a new blaster and fast." she said.

Eli nodded "I know. But for now let's help the town. Worst comes to worst I'll figure something out. Somehow." he said.

"Hey you, Pronto!" Red Hook called, coming towards them.

Eli glanced at the older man with a confused look "What's up?" he asked.

Red Hook motioned for him to come forward "Come with me. Just you. I need to know something." he said.

Eli winced, exchanging a worried look with Trixie. He then carefully picked up the damaged blaster, following after the old man. But it wasn't without worry. Every step made is heart pound in worry. Did he know? Would he tell his father? What was going to happen? He did not want to leave Slugterra. He wanted to help.

As an assurance he looked at the new slug in his hands. It looked kind of depressed "Hey. Don't be down. You know...there is always room on my team." he said.

The slug looked up with hope, giving a happy chirp and a nod. Eli grinned at that "So what can you do?" he asked.

The slug chirped happily, reaching out and poking Eli. To his surprise it was like a warmth spread. Not completely healing his bruises but they definitely felt better. "Impressive. And thank you, Doc." he said.

The slug bristled with pride and Eli could tell he would become a powerful asset to his team right then and there. He then looked up as they reached Red Hooks, the old mechanic showing him inside. The man then went to a drawer, pulling something out "I got to admit...you had me fooled. But now that I see it you really look like your father. So I'm guessing he doesn't know your out here." he said, handing a picture to Eli.

A picture of Red Hook and Will Shane. Eli gulped heavily, handing the picture back "He didn't want me slinging until I turned fifteen. But I wanted to prove I was ready. And now that I've started seeing Sluterra needs help...dad doesn't see it and I don't understand why. But I do know that I want to help." he said firmly.

Red Hook nodded "You have a lot of your fathers guts in you. Don't worry. I won't tell. I may be old but I know how to keep a secret. I'm guessing your friend doesn't know your a Shane either?" he asked.

Eli shook his head "I don't want her to. I want to be myself. I told my dad I can handle it myself. Not as a Shane, but Eli. I need to do this to prove it. For him and for me." he explained.

Red Hook nodded, bring out a white case "I only ever designed two of these you know. One of them went to your father. But if your his son it should work for you just fine." he said, opening the case to show a powerful looking gun.

Eli looked at the gun in awe, glancing at Red Hook who nodded before he pulled it out of the case reverently "It looks almost identical to dads gun." he said.

He then frowned before sighing "Which means I can't accept it. Not looking like my fathers gun. I can't have any connections." he said.

Red Hook grinned at that "Well what color would you like it?" he asked.

Eli's eyes widened "You'd do that?" he asked.

Red Hook nodded "I owe your father more than a few favors. Besides, you just saved the town. Just tell me the colors and I'll have it done soon." he said.

Eli nodded at that "Thank you sir. And if you could match it to my mecha that would be great." he said.

Red Hook nodded, shooing the thirteen year old from his shop "I'll find you when I'm done. Just make sure you stick around." he said.

Eli nodded at that, heading outside to see Trixie fiddling with her camera. She looked up with a raised eyebrow before looking slightly disappointed "So he still didn't fix your blaster?" she asked.

Eli smiled, shaking is head "No. But he...apparently he had made a back up for my dad he never told him about. But he has to change the color so it doesn't match. Apparently I'm to much my fathers son and he was a friend of his but he's agreed to keep my secret for now." he explained.

Trixie nodded at that "And I don't suppose you'll give any names?" she asked.

Eli shook his head "No. Like I told him, my dad doesn't think I can do this. I need to prove I can. As Eli. Not my fathers son. I can do this." he said.

Trixie smiled at that "Alright. Well, if we're sticking around we may as well help clean up. Unfortunately the Hooligang managed to do some damage." she said.

Eli nodded, bounding down the stairs and to her side. Together they made their way into town, helping the wary folks clean up. But to Eli's delight they began opening up as they helped "It wouldn't be the first time gangs like that have attacked. Always after Red Hook. It's getting harder and harder to defend the town. I'm glad some body finally stopped and stood up for us little guys. Thank you. for defending our homes." one of the men told them.

Eli nodded in return "Of course. If there is ever a town in need of saving we will do our best. Right Trixie?" he asked.

Trixie nodded "You got it, Pronto." she teased.

Eli just shrugged, sweeping up another pile of trash into a dust bin. Around him his slugs also helped cleaned up with miniature brooms. By time they finished with the clean up it had gotten fairly dark. Both teens were fairly tired from the long day. "We could probably just camp out on the edge of town." Eli suggested.

Trixie groaned "I was afraid you would say that." she said in annoyance.

They then tensed as a man ran up to them. It was the same man who had warned them earlier "The Hooligang is back. They are headed this way. Red Hook sent me to find you and give you this." he said, handing Eli the blaster.

Eli's eyes widened. It had been repainted black with purple designs and it looked amazing. He grinned as e glanced at Trixie "What do you think? Ready to fight?" he asked.

Trixie nodded tiredly "Yeah. What's the plan?" she asked.

Eli frowned before smirking "I have an idea..." he said, his eyes flicking upwards.

Trixie nodded, pulling out her binoculars and zeroing in on the incoming gang. She then frowned, handing the binoculars to Eli "Look at their slugs. There is something wrong with them." she said.

Eli frowned as he did so, narrowing in on the slugs. Sure enough there was something...off about the slugs "What are those?" he asked.

Trixie shook her head "I don't know." she said honestly.

Eli couldn't stop a shiver as he loaded Burner into the gun, ready to defend himself "Surrender now or I will make this quick and painful!" the leader announced.

Eli smirked at that "You know, I never did catch your name." he said.

The leader scowled "Names Billy. And I'm going to be the one stops you from going any further with my ghoul slug." he said.

Eli frowned "Ghoul slug?" he asked.

Billy smirked "Yeah. And your about to find out first hand what they do." he said.

He launched the odd looking slug at Eli who instinctually launched Burner. To his horror the slug transformed, turning into something...dark. It pushed Burner away without any effort. He barely had any time to brace himself before the slug slammed into him, knocking him into a pillar. Trixie gasped, looking at him in worry but he shook his head, slowly climbing to his feet. Quickly she went to his side "What...was that?" he asked.

Trixie shrugged helplessly "I don't know. I've never seen a slug like that. Are you okay Eli?" she asked quietly.

Eli nodded, holding a hand to his head "Yeah. I'm fine. But we need to put my plan into action. Do you have anything to make a slug fall?" he asked.

Trixie raised an eyebrow "All I've got is a sonic blaster. It dazes the slugs. Why?" she asked.

Eli frowned, loading Joules into his blaster "Throw it into the air." he said.

Trixie looked at him in confusion but activated it before throwing it. To her surprise and somewhat horror Joules grabbed the container, carrying it up to the grenuke slugs "What are you doing?" she asked.

Eli smirked "Getting help from the members of the town." he said.

At that moment the device went off, stunning several of the grenuke slugs and causing them to fall. They fell immediately towards the errant gang, blowing up around them and effectively wiping out all but Billy. Billy scowled at that, grabbing another ghoul and loading it. Eli quickly grabbed a random slug, seeing it to be Doc "Let's see what's you've got, eh Doc?" he asked.

Doc looked stunned for a moment before growing determined. Eli quickly shot him, hoping for it to do something. And something it did indeed. Doc colided with the ghoul and..and cured it.

Trixie gasped, pulling out her camera and recording the two slugs "That ghoul...was an armashelt. And your slug just cured him. Where did you get him?" she asked.

Eli grinned, motioning towards Billy "It was the one he was going to step on. Turns out he's a healer." he said.

Billy's mouth dropped "A healer?! No way!" he said in protest.

Trixie was also stunned "You do realize that healers are like the rarest slugs in slugterra, right?" she asked.

Eli looked at her in surprise "Seriously?" he asked.

Billy looked furious at this but with a warning look from Eli he scowled "Fine. Have your town. Have your slug. But don't think this is over. You're on Blakk's lists now Pronto. He will have every one searching for you." he said.

Eli scoffed "Well tell Blakk I don't care. I will stop him. Just wait and see." he said.

Billy gave one last parting scowl at that before disappearing. Eli grinned at that before feeling a slight tugging on his pants. Startled he looked down, seeing one of the grenuke slugs hanging around. Eli grinned as he held out his hand "Hey there little guy. You wanting to join my team too?" he asked.

The slug nodded happily, making Eli grin. He then nodded in satisfaction as the slug jumped onto Eli's shoulder before going into the back pack. Eli then glanced at Trixie "Come on. Let's get out of here." he said softly.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is actually one of my more favorite chapters. Not quite my number one but I definitely enjoyed writing it. I do really hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.**

 **Don't own Slugterra**

It had been another week after their run in with the Hooligang and that time found them wandering near Deadweed cavern. Trixie shivered as they neared an old abandoned mine shaft "Come on. Let's hurry and get out of here." Trixie said in worry.

Eli raised an eyebrow at that "Why?" he asked.

Trixie gave him an odd look "Only because this is like the most haunted place in Slugterra. Rumor has it you need to hold your breath as you pass to prevent the evil spirits from taking you over." she said nervously.

Eli chuckled a little "Well I'm getting a closer look. Besides, isn't Deadweed where frightgiest slugs come from?" he asked, getting closer to the mine shaft.

Trixie flinched "I don't think you understand. This place has a very low survival rate. The legends say that this mine used to be thriving but something happened and a lot of men left the mine screaming. But...not all of the miners left. They were never found again." she said with a shiver.

Eli shrugged "So we can get a new slug, and solve a mystery." he said.

He then grinned at her "Not to mention think of the footage you could get. Real life ghosts!" he urged.

Trixie hesitated but he could see she was warring with herself. Finally she sighed, pulling out her camera "Alright. But I am filming you. I won't put anything on the slug net but this way if we do die then someday some one can know what happened to us." she warned.

Eli nodded "Acceptable. As long as when we _get out_ you edit me out of all the images." he said.

The red head nodded her head as they dismounted, slowly approaching the cavern. As they reached the door Trixie shuddered again "This is crazy. We shouldn't be here. Come on. let's go." she said.

Eli grinned, grabbing her hand and taking her off guard "Come with me." he said, his eyes eager and bright.

Trixie couldn't help it as her face began heating up. She wasn't going to lie. Eli had impressed her before. "Alright." she said quietly.

She then moved to help him open the door, not liking the look of the spooky cavern. But Eli grabbed her hand, pulling her along "See? This isn't to bad. It's just like Halloween." he said casually.

His red headed companion gave him an odd look "What in the 99 caverns is Halloween?" she asked.

Eli froze for a moment before quickly recovering "It's something my dad used to do. Our whole...cavern really. Once a year you dress up in scary costumes and go door to door to get candy from the neighbors." he explained.

His friend raised her eyebrow "Sounds like extortion. But fun. We should try it some time. Maybe once we get a base of our own." she said.

Eli nodded before freezing "Do you hear that?" he asked.

Trixie frowned "Yeah. I almost sounds like..."

"Turn back." Eli whispered.

He shivered as a bit of fear shot through him. He had seen a lot of scary movies with his dad and they had never fazed him but this was actually kind of creepy. Both of them jumped as they heard the sound again, echoing through the caverns. They stayed silent as they crept through the halls, wincing at every movement. Seeing that Trixie couldn't help but smirk "Getting scared?" she asked.

Eli smirked "As if." he said.

He then jumped as a shadow appeared, followed by more. He took a step back as the shadowy images surrounded them, taking shape. "These are...ghosts. Aren't they."

It wasn't a question.

Yes.

They were.

Both Trixie and Eli quickly kicked into high gear, each shooting a slug but they passed harmlessly through, disappearing through the cave. Eli glanced at Trixie "Time to run?" he asked.

Trixie nodded "Time to run." she said firmly.

Both of them wasted no time, bolting down the caverns and away from the ghosts. "There!" Trixie shouted, pointing at an old mine cart.

Eli nodded, helping her push the cart down the tracks. Once it hit enough speed they jumped in, riding it along the beaten tracks, hoping to get away from the danger. They couldn't help their exhilarated grins as the cart shot through the mines "Any idea where this is taking us?" Eli asked.

Trixie shook her head "No. Just that it gets us away from those ghosts." she said.

But unfortunately she would have to eat her words as the cart began going uphill. They both paled as the cart slowed to a stop before slowly...moving... "Floppers." Eli muttered as the cart took off backwards, coasting to a stop right in the middle of the ghosts.

Eli groaned in annoyance while Trixie gave him an irritated glare "If we die. I blame you. Any last words?" she asked, lifting her camera up to Eli's face.

Eli gave her an equally irritated look before it morphed into one of surprise as a train horn sounded through the cavern. Luckily it also attracted the attention of the ghosts. They quickly vacated, leaving the two slug slingers in silence. "That was creepy." Trixie said, earning a nod of agreement from the young Shane.

They cautiously got out of the cart, looking around worriedly but there truly wasn't any sign of the ghosts. "Is that...a train?" Eli asked, hearing the train again.

Trixie frowned "It kind of sounds like the Slugterran Express. It's a train run by Blakk Industries. But I didn't think it ran here." she said.

Eli frowned "Blakk. That was the guy the Hooligang was working for, right?" he asked.

Trixie nodded "Yeah. Maybe we should check this out." she said, moving towards the sound.

Eli nodded, moving next to her and falling in step as they made their way through the once more empty cavern, following the sounds of the train whistle. They frowned as they came across a small room over looking the tracks "Hey, it's the ghosts." Trixie said in a whisper.

Eli nodded, his eyes focusing on the man climbing off of the train "Who is that?" he asked.

The guy kind of reminded him of some sort of demon. Trixie shrugged helplessly "This is as much new territory for me as it is you." she said.

Eli winced "I was afraid you'd say that." he said.

They then watched as some doors opened, allowing the train into a different section of the caves. Trixie quickly combed the area with her eyes before pointing "The control room. Let's go." she said.

Quickly the two made their way to the control room, looking through the glass to see an oddly terrifying sight "What...is that?" Trixie asked.

It was a red water. And around it the men were wearing protective suits, putting the odd liquid on the train "This...is really weird." Trixie said nervously.

Eli nodded, his eyes narrowing as he studied the scene. The demon dude was over seeing the operations with a practiced eye. This made Eli comb his eyes, looking for anything he could use. That was when he saw the ghosts advancing on demon dude. Quickly he nudged Trixie, pointing to the ghosts. She frowned as she looked at the ghosts as well, focusing her camera on them "That's odd. They are trying to make them leave as well." she said.

Eli frowned as demon dude turned, shooting one of the men with a slug and hitting. "How come his slugs hit?" he asked.

Trixie scowled, zooming in "They are using ghouls. Who know what the ghouls actually are." she said.

She then frowned as demon dude walked over, taking a spoon full of the red liquid and adding it to a machine before adding a slug. Both Trixie and Eli exchanged horrified looks before seeing the slug turn into a ghoul, right before their eyes "So that's how he's doing it. He's using this...red water to turn the slugs into ghouls." Trixie said in surprise.

Eli nodded "Yeah. And looking down there he has an enormous supply. Who knows how many slugs he could ghoul with all of that water." he said.

Trixie nodded "What do you want to do Eli?" she asked.

Eli frowned, looking around before grinning slyly "First off I think we need a little...make over." he said.

Trixie frowned in confusion before following his gaze and grinning herself "I think you may be right."

line break

Both Trixie and Eli walked casually down to the area where the other workers were. They nodded their heads as they made their way purposefully towards what looked like the main control panel. To their luck it was unguarded. "Think you can hack it?" Eli asked Trixie.

The red head cracked her fingers "I can try. Cover me." she said.

Eli nodded, heading away and instantly targeting the closest member to him. Time to do some info gathering "So...exactly who is mister big shot over there?" he asked casually.

The guy looked up from where he was filling a barrel "Aren't you a little young to be here?" he asked.

Eli shrugged "I've been on my own for a while and needed some gold. This job seemed promising but they really failed to give out the information." he said in annoyance.

The man laughed at that "You've got that right kid. By the way, his names Diablos Nacho. Rumor on the streets is he's Blakk's right hand man." he said.

He then scowled "And if he is any indication of what Blakk's like then I pity any poor soul who goes toe to toe with him. Especially the Shane and that Pronto gang." he said.

Eli almost choked "Pronto gang?" he asked.

The man looked surprised and Eli quickly covered his tracks "I'm an orphan. News isn't necessary to live so I usually ignore it. But I will admit you have me curious." he said.

The man chuckled "Very well. Supposedly the group has been coming along and causing trouble for some of Blakk's recruits. If I might be so frank I kind of wish they'd take out this dark water too. It makes me uncomfortable being near it. After all, we all saw what it did to those miners." he said uneasily.

Eli felt cold. Dark water. That's what it was called and this did that to the miners? What ever this stuff was it had to be stopped. There had to be some way of getting rid of it. Suddenly he felt something touch his hand and he glanced down, seeing Doc pop out of a pocket and tugging on his glove. But Eli hesitated. He had seen what the dark water had done to the other slugs. What if it would do the same to Doc? Not to mention there were too many people. One shot now and he'd be cornered for sure. If only he could get a proper distraction.

It was times like this he wondered if Trixie could read his mind.

The control tower went up in a beautiful display of fire and sparks, the red head herself leaving quickly as to cause no worry to her younger companion. Eli quickly took out his blaster, loading Doc into it "You sure about this Doc?" he asked.

Doc nodded in determination. That alone steeled Eli to shoot it at the small pipe that hosed the dark water. Unfortunately the distraction hadn't quite done it's job. Some one saw him and was there to stop him. A harmashelt hit Doc, knocking him off course. Eli scowled, looking up as Diablos approached him, looking angry. Eli didn't get a chance to react as someone grabbed him and forced him to his knees. Eli scowled, his eyes darting around for a way out but it was hard to focus on anything when the imposing figure of Diablos Nacho was bearing down on you. He turned to him with a defiant glare, ready to defend himself "What did you think you were doing?" Diablos asked.

Eli frowned "Trying to help the miners. What's it to you?" he asked.

He was feeling strangely brave. Maybe it was the fact that Trixie hadn't been discovered. There was still hope after all. Diablos scowled (or at least Eli thought it was a scowl. It was hard to tell with him.) as he stared down at the young man "Who are you?" he demanded.

Eli frowned "Names Pronto." he said firmly.

A few of the men gasped, shifting uncomfortably but Eli didn't care. If his 'name' was getting up there he might as well try and use it, right? Diablos frowned, loading his blaster "Well then Pronto, I think it's time we ended your trouble streak right now before it gets worst." he said.

Immediately one of the men stepped up, the one Eli had been talking to "Is this really necessary? He is just a kid after all." the man said in irritation.

Eli couldn't help it. His respect for the man increased ten fold. Diablos however scowled "You want to join him?" he asked.

The man hesitated at that, looking at Eli who slowly shook his head. Hesitantly the man backed down, getting a look of satisfaction from the evil henchmen. Diablos then turned his attention back onto Eli "Any last words...Pronto?" he asked.

Eli grinned "Just one. See ya." he said.

For a moment Diablos looked confused before he was suddenly hit by an arachnets web, being tossed to the side. Eli grinned as he leapt up, dodging behind a barrel and shooting. immediately forces divided. It was odd to see.

Apparently there were a few more who were on the 'kids' side.

Eli grinned as he exchanged blows with some of the other men who didn't agree. He almost felt sorry for them. Almost. But not quite. He then winced as he himself got hit by a surprise shot, knocking him back and away from his cover. it was all Diablos needed. He launched a second shot at Eli, hitting him directly in the head. Eli cried out in pain before feeling an odd over whelming terror come over him. He yelped in horror as he looked around, everything looking much more terrifying than usual. He scrambled back, knocking into a barrel. That truly set his mind into over drive. He scrambled away in fear, fleeing the battle. Seeing this Diablos grinned, reloading the blaster before following closely into the mines. He was going hunting.

line break

Eli shivered as the effects from the nightgeist slowly faded, still leaving his skin crawling. Around him his slugs watched him in concern, not sure of what to do. Eli smiled weakly "Don't worry guys. I'm okay. That thing just managed to terrify me is all." he said.

He then sighed as he stood up, rubbing his arms "Come on. I think it's time to get back." he said.

He couldn't help but shiver as a breeze swept through the mines "Guess I'm still being affected." he said.

He then sighed as he began walking back through the tunnel. He then jumped, stumbling back as one of the ghosts appeared in front of him. The ghost then morphed into a slug, making Eli sigh in relief before kneeling down "That was a terrifying trick little guy. You know, I could use some skill like that on my team." he said.

The frightgiest chirped happily, jumping into the young Shane's outstretched hand, nuzzling his thumb. Eli grinned "Welcome to the team Spooker." he said. H

e then tensed as he heard a rock shift. He quickly ducked, hiding behind the mining cart he had taken refuge behind as he slowly peaked out, watching as Diablos himself slowly crept up the hall, looking for Eli himself. Eli frowned before he glanced down at Spooker "Alright Spooker, I guess it's time to see what you can do, huh?" he asked.

He then aimed, narrowing his eyes as he focused on Nacho. And he fired. He couldn't help a silent cheer as Spooker hit directly in Nacho's face "Payback." he said.

He then blinked as Nacho looked around, terror now on his face. He smirked as he stood "Not so tough now. Are you?" he asked.

He then shivered, feeling an odd chill in the air. He only had a second to blink before the ghosts surged from around him, running at Nacho and terrifying him back towards the rest. Eli smiled at that, following after the ghosts and joining the charge. When they reached the cavern it was instant pandemonium. People from both sides fled, seeing the ghostly miners charging Blakk's second in command. A few people did remain however. Including the man who had helped Eli earlier. It was that man who immediately took charge "Seal up those wells. Blakk will no longer have control of these mines. Now hurry up! Let's move!" he barked.

Immediately the remaining men gathered their supplies, hurrying and welding shut the wells. The man couldn't help but smile, moving next to Eli who watched awestruck at that. Trixie approached at that point, smiling gratefully at the guy "Thank you. For all of your help." she said politely.

The man smiled "Like I said earlier. Your just a kid. Well, kids it looks like. I'm not about to stoop so low as to hurting a child." he said firmly.

Eli nodded gratefully "Thank you anyways. It means a lot." he said.

Suddenly Trixie jumped, stumbling into Eli as the ghosts began surrounding them, looking eerie and creepy "Thank you, for the help you have given us. We've been trying to stop them from doing this for a while now but that water kind of put us in a weakened state. Between that and the ghouls there was nothing we could do." he said hopelessly.

Eli smiled reassuringly at Trixie before stepping forward "Thank you. For your help." he said.

The miner leader nodded, giving a grateful smile. Eli's eyes then widened as the miners began gaining color. He pointed at the men "You...you're turning back to normal!" he said in surprise.

The miners looked at their hands in surprise before grinning, congratulating each other all around. This in turn got celebration from Blakk's men as well. Both Eli and Trixie exchanged eager grins, feeling excited by the good feelings all around. But as the people began mingling in good humor, Blakk's cast offs helping the miners, Eli couldn't help but frown.

Seeing that Trixie also frowned "Everything okay?" she asked.

Eli shook his head hesitantly, growing worried "I don't feel like this was a victory. Blakk got a lot of dark water. And who knows how much he got out total." he said.

He then frowned, turning away from Trixie 'And if Blakk has made a deal with what ever is down in the deep caverns...then even dad would have trouble keeping Slugterra safe.' he thought.

Now more than ever he needed to stay in Slugterra.

He had to get to the bottom of all of this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Don't own Slugterra**

Eli grinned as he looked around at the slug run "So this is the highest ranking mecha race ever?" he asked.

Trixie nodded, leaning against her mecha with a frown "I still think you are absolutely crazy Pronto." she said dryly.

Eli grinned, tightening the scarf around his face. He was entering as a masked rider. Apparently it was completely legal. As long as he followed the slug rule to never slug another rider. Which seemed challenging enough. But that was all the more reason for doing this. He glanced at Trixie "But the crystalyd slug is completely worth it. I mean come on, this is a chance to add another rare slug to my collection. I can't pass up this oppurtunity. Not to mention it will build up my rep as 'Pronto' a bit more and if we can do that I will be more likely allowed to stay and help." he explained.

Trixie groaned "I still think this sounds like a recipe for disaster." she said.

Eli chuckled "And it probably is." he said.

He then widened his eyes as he caught sight of one of the other racers. "Wow. Is that a cave troll?" he asked.

Trixie nodded "Yeah. He's a new comer. Word on the streets is he wants to be a slinger but has to do good in this race. He's basically proving that he has the skills to be a slinger and a mechanic like most cave trolls seem to do." she said.

Eli nodded sympathtically before going up to the guy "Hey, good luck in the race." he said, holding out his hand.

The cave troll blinked in surprise "You're talking to me? Even though I'm a cave troll?" he asked.

Eli nodded, holding his hand out a little further "Yeah. Good luck." he said.

The cave troll smiled "You to. Names Kord by the way."

"Pronto."

The cave trolls eyes widened in surprise "Your the kid who's been causing trouble for Blakk?" he asked.

He then grinned "In that case it's an honor to meet you." he said with a smile.

Eli nodded at that "And to you as well." he said.

He then perked up as the announcer told them to get into position. He glanced at Trixie with one last reassuring smile as he took his place. Next to him was Kord, giving him a determined smile and on the other side was an odd looking molenoid on a donkey. But he was focused on another molenoid, constantly muttering 'Sedo' under his breath. Eli raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, focusing on this race. He was determined. He heard the shot, signalling the start and he immediately focusing on the race. He held it steady, not jumping out to the front. It was Trixie's one word of advice. Don't make yourself a target and observe the opponents. Once you hit the second half of the race...give them all you've got. Until then let the others thin out the competition for you. And considering her sharp eye Eli was determined to take the advice to heart. It seemed that Kord had the same idea. He grinned as he rode next to Eli "Not going to race?" he taunted.

Eli smirked as he watched two mecha's take eachother out "Letting the competition take care of itself." he called.

Kord laughed "Good theory." he said, pushing on ahead.

Eli grinned at that "Lets see what you've got Lucky." he said, powering the mecha on faster.

Kord grinned in challenge as the two racers pressed on, keeping a lead behind the other racers. They entered the first cavern and it was quickly chaotic. Riders on the more heavy duty mechas smashed through pillars and others got caught in bogs. Eli grinned as he expertly rode his mecha through the mess, expertly navigating it. For a moment his heart jumped as a pillar began falling toward him. He put on an extra burst of speed, dodging the pillar and picking up speed. He sighed in relief as he exited the cavern, maneuvering to the long winding trail that the others were taking. He frowned as he noticed he was in last but he couldn't see a way to change it. Not yet at least. For a moment he debated on jumping the narrow pieces of rock but decided against it. For now he would play it safe. He still had time to turn this around. He grinned, leaning low over Lucky's head as he picked up speed, watching as he moved around the trail, gaining ground. It was time for him to step up his game. He grinned as he passed a few of the racers, tightening his scarf as he went. He then frowned as he jumped forward, leaping over the molenoid on the donkey, barely missing as he dived for the second molenoid. Eli grinned at that, narrowly avoiding another racer. They then entered another cavern and Eli raised an eyebrow at seeing an odd arch.

Kord grinned as he leveled out with Eli "They are called crystal worms. Don't touch them if you don't want to become worm chow." he warned.

Eli nodded "Thanks for the heads up." he said, moving to stay clear of the odd worms.

Unfortunately it was not to be. The molenoid with the donkey flew passed them slamming into one of the worms. Eli flinched as the worm woke up, instantly moving. The only thing he had going for him was that it went straight for Kord instead of him. Quickly Eli shot out, Joules shocking the worm and stopping it effectively. Kord frowned "You just broke the no slugging rule!" he pointed out.

Eli grinned "They said no slugging other racers. Those aren't racers." he pointed out.

Kord grinned at that "Well I do appreciate it. Thanks. But you do realize I can't let you win." he pointed out.

Eli didn't answer, instead dodging another worm that took out a few more racers. By this point there wasn't much left. Kord and Eli were still in it. As were the two molenoids. Other than that there were no other visible racers. Both Kord and Eli shot out of the cavern onto another stretch of road. Eli grinned as he shot ahead, barely keeping ahead of Kord. He just needed to stay just barely ahead. Just for a little bit longer. Suddenly a slug whizzed passed his head and he glanced back, seeing Kord's determined look.

Startled Eli glanced forward, seeing a crystal worm writhing as it tried to get the webbing off it's face "Thanks!" he cried.

Kord grinned "Now we're even." he said.

Eli nodded, about to respond before he tensed. Kord too, looked on in horror as the crystal worm began tearing up the road. Both of them yelped, leaping from falling rock to falling rock "Chiller!" Eli shouted, the frostcrawler jumping into the blaster.

He then shot the slug, allowing him to fix the path and allow both racers across safely. But it wasn't over. Both racers paled in fear as the crystal worm balled up and began cartwheeling after them. Quickly they picked up further speed, moving into the next tunnel. Eli could feel his heart pounding as he raced ahead of this but to his frustration it was not only catching up...but Kord was getting ahead. Quickly he turned, shooting an archnet he had befriended the day before to try and stop the creature. It looked like it wasn't going to work. The worm and webbing came closer and closer before stopping.

Eli's breath caught in fear as the webbing attached to Lucky "Hold on guys." he said hoarsely, gripping the handles to Lucky very tightly.

He shot back, feeling weightless and more than a little terrified. But then the webbing was back as far as it would go before launching him forward. He didn't think, just reacted. Every twist, turn, and movement was guided by pure instinct. Suddenly there was Kord, who instinctually ducked. It was all Eli needed. He shot out in front of the cave troll, sliding into first place by a narrow margin. Around him the cheers erupted and Eli laughed breathlessly, his face flushed at his narrow escape from danger. But he had done it. He was only vaguely aware of someone handing him the crystalyd. But there was one thing he was aware of. Watching Kord leave, looking kind of dejected. Eli suddenly had a brilliant idea and silently hoped Trixie wouldn't mind to much as he excused himself.

He quickly approached Kord with a grin "That was some pretty nice racing there. You made an excellent opponent." he said casually.

Kord smiled at that "You were amazing too. Congrats on the win." he said.

Eli nodded in acknowledgement before leaning casually on Lucky's handlebars "You know, I could use some one like you on my team. Especially with Blakk possibly stepping up his game." he said.

Kord looked at him in surprise "You would want me on your team?" he asked.

Eli shrugged "Right now it's just me and some one else and really we could use all the help we could get. What do you say?" he asked.

Kord grinned like a maniac "What do I say? I say that sounds awesome! Thanks Pronto!" he said.

Eli winced at that "That's the one thing you need to know. My names not Pronto. It's Eli. I'm kind of running away from home and trying to keep out of papers." he said.

Kord nodded at that "Well it's my pleasure Eli. I look forward to slinging with you." he said.

Eli grinned, shaking the cave trolls hand "Like wise." he said.

 **Just a few notes. First, yay! Kord's in the group! And we got our first official Pronto appearance! I couldn't resist giving him a cameo before his official appearance to ATD.**

 **Second note, someone asked why Trizie is calling Eli, Eli and not Pronto. It's not because she knows he's Eli Shane per say but that Eli allows his friends and only his friends to call him Eli. He's just also keeping the whole Shane thing hidden because while he trusts them it's like finding out your best friend is a celebrity. He doesn't want to deal with the pressure. He is just thirteen after all. It also helps that in the series it's constantly noted that nobody knew Will Shane had a son. So amongst his friends he can go by Eli and they won't connect it. I hope this clears up everything.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So this chapter was rather fun to write. I really like the shadow clan by the way. They are awesome!**

 **Don't own Slugterra**

Trixie and Kord got along really well. Which was good. Eli was relieved that his old friend was getting along with his new friend. The only thing Kord was a little surprised at was their distinct lack in base but he understood. Unfortunately he also had no suggestions. But right now they had a different thing they were focusing on.

Helping a group. They seemed like researchers. They had stumbled across them being attacked by the same men who had attacked Trixie's home. Locke and Lode.

Eli frowned as him, Trixie and Kord chased the goons off "Don't you guys have a decent prison around here?" he mumbled, not loud enough for the other two to hear.

He was a bit irritated by the distinct lack of authority here. Not even his father seemed to be helping. And it was really starting to bother him.

As soon as the goons were out of sight Eli turned his attention to the researchers "Are you guys okay?" he asked.

One of the men nodded as he righted a container with a sigh "Yeah. Mecha's are trashed though." he said in annoyance.

Eli frowned as he picked up another container "This is a lot of fandango slugs." he commented.

The man laughed bitterly "That's because all of the slugs have fled Bullseye cavern and without the slug energy the cavern is dying. If we can't get these slugs there tonight to jump start the cavern then Bullseye will become a permanent dead zone." he said angrily.

He then groaned, running a hand through his hair "But every time we've attempted it those men have stopped us. They've hit almost every path to Bullseye." he said.

Eli frowned at that, turning to his friends "What if we take the shipment? Names Pronto by the way." he said.

The researchers looked a bit surprised before growing relieved "Would you? The cavern is counting on you if you do this." he pointed out.

Eli shrugged "We would just have to work over time. It'll be fun." he said.

Trixie and Kord smiled at that before nodding "We could do it. We've faced those creeps before." she said, brushing it off.

Kord then began hooking the wagon to his mecha "But if we're on a dead line we're burning daylight. I say it's time to get going." he said, glancing up at the light above.

And it was true. it was a time limit and they only had a certain amount of time. Quickly they got into gear, heading towards Bullseye cavern. Eli frowned as he circled the wagon, glancing at the slugs to make sure everything was running smoothly.

He then nodded "Come on. Let's get going."

line break

As the trio made their way through the caverns to Bullseye Eli had questions "So the caverns are powered by the slugs and if the slugs leave the cavern the cavern would die?" he asked.

Trixie exchanged an amused look with Kord "When you say your dad never let you learn anything about the rest of Slugterra you weren't kidding. Were you?" Trixie asked.

Eli grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck "Dad likes his secrets." he said.

Kord nodded "To be fair you have your fair share." he commented.

Eli winced at that, turning away "I'm sorry." he said softly.

Kord looked at him with a smile "It's cool. I can understand. I'm sure my folks wouldn't be thrilled to know I am for sure choosing slinging over mechanics. Just remember, if you ever want to confide...we're here for you." he said.

Eli nodded at that "Okay." he said, feeling glad that his friends trusted him like they did.

It was a kind of refreshing feeling. Suddenly he tensed, feeling something odd in the air. He managed to duck, just as a slug slammed into the ground, barely missing his head. "To the left! Don't fight!" Eli said, directing them to a cavern to the left.

The other two nodded, following his instructions without question. They quickly went to the side cavern, wincing as the rocks rained down on them, quickly caving them in.

Eli frowned as he looked around "We're cut off. Are there any other paths to Bullseye?" he asked.

Trixie frowned, pulling out a partially filled in map "Not that I know of." she said.

Kord frowned "Well technically there is one way." he said.

Trixie looked at him in confusion before it morphed to startled realization "You're talking about the shadow clan." she said.

Eli raised an eyebrow "Shadow clan?" he asked.

Kord sighed "Don't tell me you don't know the shadow clan." he said in exasperation.

Eli blinked "My dads mentioned the shadow clan plenty of times but he made them sound like they weren't a big deal." he said.

Trixie frowned "Not a big deal? Now you've got me curious. But...if we do manage to get through the shadow clan just think, I could be the first to catch the shadow clan on film. If we survive." she said hesitantly.

Eli sighed "We really don't have another choice. Come on. Let's get going." he said. The other two nodded, moving after Eli.

line break

Kord shivered as they exited the tunnel "The dark periphery. Home of the shadow clan." he said quietly.

Hearing that Eli raised an eyebrow "What's so bad about the shadow clan anyways? Are you guys sure they aren't misunderstood? The way my dad talked it was almost like he knew them." he said.

Trixie raised an eyebrow "If your dad actually managed to talk with the shadow clan and live I would sincerely worship him. Nobody in recorded history has ever seen the shadow clan and lived to tell the tale. Not even Blakk will dare trifle with the shadow clan. I wouldn't even be surprised if the Shane avoids the shadow clan. Not only that but any body who would get caught interacting with the shadow clan would be considered traitors. And nobody dares attack because it's futile." she said.

Eli frowned at that before tensing, seeing two odd creatures climbing a rock pillar and slowly Eli backed up, his face paling "Is that them?" he asked.

The other two paled as well, slowly backing against the wall. Then to their surprise they literally disappeared. Eli gulped before slowly motioning for the two two follow him. As he did he couldn't help but remember what his dad had mentioned about the shadow clan "My dad talked about the shadow clan a lot. He really didn't make them sound scary. He said they could talk to slugs and have been here forever." he told his friends.

Trixie frowned "That's wierd. I've never heard of anyone getting friendly with the shadow clan on the entire slug net. What about you?" she asked Kord.

The cave troll shook his head "Nothing. But the more I hear the more impressed I am." he said.

Suddenly Trixie tensed "uh...I don't mean to scare anyone but...there is movement behind us." she said nervously.

Eli glanced back, eyes narrowing "I thought we lost them. Come on." he said.

Kord however frowned "I would suggest we move a little faster." he said.

The other two looked back. The shadow clan was approaching. Quickly the three kicked it into high gear, bolting down the path on their mechas. Eli then spotted a small place that was just big enough for them to hide. Quickly he motioned for them to do so and slid into the spot with his two friends following right behind. They all held their breath anxiously as the shadow clan ran past their hiding spot.

Once they were sure it was safe they got out, seeing something that did not reassure the three travellers "Looks like they're having some sort of meeting." Trixie said quietly.

Kord nodded, pointing "And it's completely blocking off our exit. We would need a distraction to get out of here." Kord said.

Eli frowned "I...I have an idea. But be ready to run." he cautioned.

Trixie groaned "That concerns me." she commented.

Eli smiled nervously, his heart pounding "Just run." he said.

He then directed his mecha to jump out in the open, despite his friends whispered protests. But he ignored them, drawing the shadow clans attention and allowing his friends to run.

They did so with obvious relucatance but Eli couldn't focus on them "Come and get me." he said before taking off through the shadow clan, startling them.

It took only seconds for them to recover, immediately moving onto his tail. The thirteen year old grinned in terrified exhileration, turning and shooting Spinner to try and stop the shadow clan. He winced at they disappeared, reappearing on the other side. He quickly turned to focus on his driving. Unfortunetly he didn't have the oppurtunity to do so. He slammed on the breaks, barely managing to stop before hitting the members of the shadow clan waiting in ambush.

He shivered as they began surrounding him "Look, Im sorry for trespassing in your territory but my friends and I needed to get those fandango slugs to Bullseye cavern before it died completely." he said.

He almost flinched as one appeared before him, looking to him like it was possibly the leader. In it's hand was an odd circlet. it held it's hand to Eli for him to grab the device.

Eli hesitated "I don't want anything. Just to get to Bullseye to help my friends. Please." he begged.

But the leader continued to hold out the item. He glanced down at his slugs and they all nodded, Jhouls even motioning to his head. That gave Eli a bit of courage. Hesitantly he took the device, placing it on his head like his slug directed.

Immediately he was almost crippled by the literal mind numbing pain that assaulted "What are you truely up to?" a voice said.

Eli winced as he looked up, leaning over the handle bars of Lucky "My friends have the fandangos. They need to go to Bullseye." he said.

The leader growled "We have your friends stopped for the moment. They have fandango's. But what do you mean to accomplish?" he asked.

Eli frowned, feeling strengthened "We only want to help." he said.

He then felt another wave of pain that almost knocked him off of the mecha beast.

The shadow clan leader cocked his head "Who are you, to have the power to withstand the shadow talker?" he asked.

Eli flinched "I'm Eli." he said.

The leader frowned, looking at him with a raised eyebrow "Eli...Shane perhaps?" he asked.

Eli paled and it had nothing to do with the pain "My dad doesn't know I'm here. He can't know. I need to help Slugterra. And he won't let me. please." he begged.

The shadow clan leader studied him for a moment before turning "Keep the shadow talker. We will lead you to your friends and then you can leave. We will meet again...Eli Shane." he said.

Eli nodded, pulling off the device and slumping against his mecha in exhaustion. He then shook it off, cautiously following the members of the shadow clan. He felt wary but he followed after none the less.

Sure enough they lead him to Trixie and Kord who looked surprised but relieved "Eli! Your okay!" Trixie said, directing her mecha to his side.

Kord frowned "Are you okay dude? Your looking awfully pale." he said.

Eli nodded "Yeah. But come on. I think they are letting us leave." he said.

His two friends nodded hesitantly as the shadow clan parted to let them through.

The three hesitantly did move forward, warily avoiding the shadow clan "Come on. Let's get to Bullseye." Eli said, feeling a little dizzy.

line break

The trio couldn't help but smile in relief as they got to Bullseye cavern safe and sound without anything happening. "I can't believe we made it out of there alive. What the heck happened?" Trixie asked, directing the last part of the question to Eli.

Eli frowned, recalling her comments earlier about being seen as a possible traitor "I'm not entirely sure. I'm still trying to figure that out." he said, holding his head. He still had a killer migraine.

Seeing that both of his companions exchanged worried looks before looking at him in concern "Are you okay?" Trixie asked softly, moving towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Eli nodded at that, shaking off the dizziness.

He then dismounted as he grabbed the containers of fanadangos "Come on guys. Time to get to work." he said, unleashing the fandango's. They watched as the slugs slowly got out, exploring with curious looks.

All three of them sighed in relief at that "Well. Looks like a job well done." Eli said. Suddenly, one by one, the slugs became terrified of something, turning and fleeing.

Eli frowned "I'm guessing that wasn't supposed to happen." he said in dismay.

Trixie and Kord looked on in worry "No. I don't know what's going on." Kord said.

They then jumped as an explosion rang through the cavern, Locke and Lode showing their faces. Eli scowled, getting ready to fight but his friends stepped in front of them "We have these goons. You get the slugs and find out what's scaring them off." he said. Eli nodded at that, going after the fandangos.

Quickly he managed to grab one "Please, stay with me. I need to know what's going on so I can fix it. Can you help?" he asked.

The slug hesitated before nodding, pointing towards the bullseye in the cavern. Eli hesitated before taking the slugs direction, holding the trembling slug as he walked towards the bullseye. As soon as he reached it he noticed a hole. One which lead to a pool of dark water.

Eli scowled at that "Blakk." he said darkly.

He then glanced at his friends, seeing Locke and Lode were giving them a bit of a hard time but they weren't looking his direction. Quickly he got Spooker and shot him at the henchmen.

Trixie and Kord took advantage, scaring the henchmen who took of in fright. "Guys!" Eli said, calling their attention.

Both Kord and Trixie hurried towards him, Kord recoiling at the sight of the dark water "Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

Eli nodded as he loaded Doc into the blaster "If your thinking dark water then yes. It's how Blakk ghouls his slugs. But I think I can purify it." he said.

Trixie bit her lip "Are you sure Doc can handle it?" she asked.

This in turn caused Eli to hesitate, looking at Doc. But the boon doc was ready and nodded, determined. Eli smiled at that, aiming the blaster and shooting. For a moment he held his breath, fearing for his slug as he did not immediately emerge in the water. But then he did, spinning in a circle.

Eli whooped in victory "Yeah Doc!" he said happily.

But then Doc began panting. Eli scowled, looking around before feeling a small tug and seeing the fandango tugging on his sleeve.

He nodded, loading the fandango into his gun and shooting it at the legs of the pool. "Great idea Eli!" Trixie said.

She then looked around, grinning as she saw the rest of the fandangos hopping towards them "Looks like the calvaries arrived." Kord commented, grabbing a fandango and blasting it.

All three of them quickly blasted the slugs, the slugs also jumping off the edge. It was just what Doc needed. He quickly spun through the pool, purifying the water. As he did life returned to the cavern. Eli looked around in awe, watching as the blackened cavern turned green and lively.

He sat down heavily "This is..." he trailed off, stunned at the power of the slugs.

Kord smiled at that "Sometimes it's easy to forget how much we rely on these little guys." he said quietly.

Eli grinned at that "So why Bullseye?" he wondered.

Trixie scoffed "Because Bullseye cavern is the exact center of Slugterra. Get it? Bullseye? This was nothing more than a land grab. How the Shane hasn't noticed something after this is beyond me." she said in annoyance.

Eli flinched at the mention of his dad but he also felt equally annoyed. After all, Slugterra was falling apart.

Just what was his father doing?


	7. Chapter 7

**yet another fun chapter. I really do enjoy this fic. I'm enjoying building a new dynamic between the characters. I sincerely ejoy that all of my silent readers are as well. This is my first and if I'll be honest really my only attempt at a Slugterra fanfic. I only have have part of it written but I'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes.**

 **Don't own Slugterra**

Eli grinned as he watched his two friends bicker "I am so going to crush your arcade high score." Kord said angrily.

Trixie smirked "Go ahead and try. I've held that record for a while and I'm not letting any one take it so easily." she said as they parked their mechas.

Eli just rolled his eyes. This argument had been going on since they decided to take a trip to the mall. It was getting to be extremely amusing to the young Shane.

They had decided to take a break. After all they weren't the Shane, (as far as they knew) and they had been doing a good amount of damage to Blakk's operations. Hence the trip to the mall. It was automatically decided that the mall was the premier place to chill out and actually relax. The three smiled as they walked into the mall, teasing and bantering. As such it took them a few minutes to realize something was off. "Uh...shouldn't there be more people?" Eli asked.

Immediately the other two froze, looking around "Uh...maybe they are closed?" Kord asked unsurely.

Trixie nodded "Never. Not this mall. I've been here plenty of times. They wouldn't just close unless it was a good reason." she said firmly.

Eli suddenly yelped "What about...that?" he asked, pointing down the hall.

Coming at them were zombies. Actual zombies. All three of them screamed in alarm, bolting down a hall way. "On the left! Incoming!" Kord shouted.

To their concern it was more zombies that were running at full speed for them. They picked up the pace, faces turning from that of scared to annoyed "are we destined to always pick up trouble anywhere we go?" Trixie asked.

Kord shrugged "Guess that's what we get for forming with the 'Pronto gang'." he said.

Eli raised an eyebrow "The what?" he asked.

Both Trixie and Kord looked at him in surprise "Haven't you heard? That's what people are calling us. it's all over the slug net." Trixie said.

Eli blinked "I hadn't heard. Well one of Blakk's men mentioned it once but I thought that was a Blakk thing. We really have a name?" he asked.

Kord rolled his eyes, pulling them both to the side and into a clothing store "Perhaps we should focus on the mess we're in first." he pointed out.

Eli nodded at that, internally going through all the zombie movies he had watched with his dad on the surface. But somehow he had a gut feeling that those wouldn't help him here. He sighed, running a hand through his hair "We have our blasters but they are blocking the exits. Especially since we got in." he said.

The other two looked at their leader expectantly, waiting for some plan to help get them out of their newest mess. Eli glanced thoughtfully out of the glass, seeing the zombies wandering the halls mindlessly "We need more information. But the only way to get that would be..." he froze, whirling around with blaster in hand, matching the blaster that pointed at him.

Instinctually he shot Joules, electrocuting the man. He then dropped the blaster, looking at the figure in alarm "Are you okay?" he asked, realizing the lack of zombifying features.

The man raised a hand "I'm fine. I admit you startled me. Didn't expect to see non-zombies this far in the mall." he said.

Trixie rolled her eyes on that "We were ambushed on the way. What's your story?" she asked.

The man stood proudly "Names Millard Milford. A security slinger in this fine establishment. I've been holed up in here waiting for reinforcements." he said.

Trixie glanced at her companions in contemplation. Eli couldn't stop the smirk from forming on his face "Well...there is all four of us here and we are pretty good slingers. Why don't we help you out?" he asked.

Millard looked thoughtful at that "It is tempting but you three are not only innocent civilians but children. It wouldn't be right to drag you into this." he said.

Eli grinned "Well that's okay because we usually get drawn into conflict whether we want to or not. We go by the Pronto gang." he said.

Millard's eyes widened in surprise "You are the two who have been sticking it to Blakk? And I thought it was only two of you." he pointed out, glancing at Kord.

Kord chuckled, raising a hand "I'm Kord. I'm still fairly new." he said.

Millard nodded in acceptance of the answer "Alright. I accept then." he said.

He motioned for them to follow him, leading them to the back room where a bunch of televisions showed everything going on in the mall. Including the zombies movements. The younger Shane frowned in confusion, cocking his head as he noticed something odd "They aren't leaving. In fact...they are looting." he pointed out.

This brought a whole different set of questions from totally different movies. Trixie also frowned "Why would they do that?" she asked.

Eli scanned the monitors before pointing "What's this camera blocking?" he asked.

Millard glanced at it in confusion " It's the food court. It's the only camera they took out but I haven't been able to get that far in to see why." he said.

The thirteen year old narrowed his eyes, wondering exactly why. Why would they block off one camera? Perhaps this went a little bit deeper than he had first thought. "I need to get up to that level." he said, pointing to it.

Millard looked at him in shock "Are you crazy?" he asked.

Eli shook his head "No. Besides, who knows how long it will take for your back up to get here and if they can handle this. It's obvious that the base of operations is there. If we get there we can figure this out." he said.

Millard frowned "Sounds reasonable. And if worst comes to worst the Shane can bail us out when he gets here." he said.

Eli tensed, his face losing all color "The Shane?" he asked hoarsely.

Millard nodded "Yeah. He's already agreed to join the back up. He's coming with the reinforcements. They should be here in about five hours." he said.

Eli shivered, this just put a massive time limit on what they had to do. Luckily his reaction went unnoticed by his friends who exchanged awestruck looks "The Shane is coming here? He's actually going to help?" Trixie asked.

Because despite the fact he had yet to appear on any of their exploits his slinging skills were legendary. He was the Shane. Nobody could stand up to him. Kord glanced at Eli "Perhaps we should wait. If the Shane offers his help there is no way we could lose." he pointed out.

Eli however shook his head "No. We have to figure this out. Soon." he said.

He then leaned closer to his friends "Look, there is only one person from around here I know. The one person my dad actually allowed me to meet and that is the Shane. And I know him, more than anyone else, would definitely take me back to my dad. We need to help this mall and then get out of here before they show up with the back up." he said urgently.

Trixie and Kord immediately grew serious "So we've been lucky so far. That he hasn't appeared that is." Trixie said.

Eli nodded, his eyes frantic "Yes. And that's why we need to figure something out, quick." he said.

He then sighed as he dug through his back pack, pulling out his scarf "But for safety measures." he muttered, creating his scarf mask he had used during the mecha run.

He then looked up at the blank monitor again "We need to get up there. Are there any ways to get in there Millard?" he asked.

Millard raised an eyebrow "Well...there is one way. But only you would be able to get in using that way. It's rather small." he said.

Eli nodded "Tell me." he said.

Millard stepped to the side, showing exactly what he meant "That's...an air vent." Eli said skeptically.

Suddenly he groaned, realizing exactly what he meant "I need to climb through a dusty air vent." he said in annoyance.

He then sighed "Fine. Move over." he said, moving over to the air vent and opening it, climbing in.

To his, somewhat misfortune, he could fit. And maneuver. He carefully made his way through the vents, finding his way with only somewhat difficulty. He managed to eventually find a vent leading to the room he wanted. He looked around and tensed, seeing one man who did not look like a zombie. He sat on a throne surrounded by all of the things that the zombies had collected for him. He watched curiously as the man held up a staff "I demand you bring me a smoothie." he said, a light shooting out and hitting the person.

Immediately they did as they were told, leaving him. Eli scowled "Mind control." he breathed.

He glanced at the slug he was using before narrowing his eyes. It was a ghoul. He glanced down at his belt, seeing Doc there. If he could fire off just one shot he could succeed but some how he had a feeling it wouldn't work. There were to many human shields that could get in his way. He then frowned as the elevator dinged and he almost felt his heart stop as Trixie and Kord stepped out, looking pale and walking funny. But then he saw the glasses and noticed how their eyes kept looking around warily and he relaxed, recognizing their quite flawless disguise. Not a single zombie stopped them. Eli then turned back to the man, wondering once more what it would take to successfully get a shot in.

 _Creak_.

Eli froze, feeling the sudden shift underneath him. That was all the warning he got before the vent he was using for a hiding place caved in, throwing Eli to the ground with a cry. He impacted hard against the ground, effectively dazing him. He groaned, curling in on himself as the pain flashed through him "Well, well, well, if it isn't an intruder." he said.

Eli scowled, looking up at the man "Who...are you?" he wheezed.

The man grinned "My name is Mr. Saturday. And who might you be? I admit I am impressed you got this far." he complimented.

Eli took a deep breath, managing to push himself shakily to his hands and knees "Pronto. The kid who has been stopping all of Blakk's cronies." he said.

The man laughed "And you think I am with Blakk? You misunderstand. Mr. Saturday works alone." he said.

Eli growled "Yet you have a ghoul." he pointed out.

Mr. Saturday frowned "Only because it helps me obtain my goals." he said coolly.

Eli scowled, slowly and painfully moving to his feet "It's still wrong." he said.

Mr. Saturday looked thoughtfully at Eli "You know Mr. Pronto, I could use some one of your skill on my team. Not as one of these mindless zombies but as a thinking partner who I could rely on." he offered.

Eli scowled "Not interested. Besides, you may not think you work for Blakk but the moment you accept a ghoul you become his henchmen whether you think it or not. Sorry but I am not a mindless henchmen." he said fiercely.

Mr. Saturday scowled, gripping his staff tighter "Not for long." he said, holding the staff higher.

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind. Eli quickly grabbed Doc, loading him into the blaster and shooting it at the ghoul. Mr. Saturday looked at it in horror as the ghoul was purified, the zombies instantly reverting to normal people. Saturday scowled, glancing back to where Kord grinned "You're going away for a long time." he said.

Trixie grinned from where she appeared next to Eli "Great timing for distracting him." she said.

Eli groaned "That wasn't on purpose." he said, his chest aching.

Trixie grinned "I know." she said cheerfully.

Eli then glanced around "Where's Millard?" he asked.

Kord grinned "He's...busy." he hinted.

He then grabbed a pair of handcuffs, chaining Saturday to the wall before writing a note and handing it to one of the confused costumers "Give this to Millard when he gets here." he said.

The customer nodded before Eli noticed something, kneeling down "Hey little guy. How would you like to join us?" he asked.

The slug chirped, jumping into his hand "Welcome to the team Dazzer." he said.

He then looked at his friends "Come on. Let's get out of here." he said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it's been a while. I would like to give some fantastic excuse that would slide easily but in truth...i have none. Other than I may have discovered Archive of Our Own and been moving over there. But despite me being on both there and here I will say this. No fics will be cross posted. Everything I post here is exclusively for this site and vice versa. Hopefully though I can update regularly for at least a little. I managed to get the next almost twenty chapters done and ready to post so I'll be hopefully posting every week as I get time. Anyways it's been nice. Hope you guys are still enjoying this!**

 **Don't own Slugterra**

"The 'Pronto gang' crashed through the forest, one in particular on a mission. One that Trixie was determined to see through "Where are we going Trix?" Eli called, following as closely as he could.

Trixie grinned "It's real. It's actually real." she said excitedly.

Kord rolled his eyes "You can say that all you want but we still have no clue what your talking about." he said.

She'd been saying that all morning. They had stopped to check the slug net at a local restaurant and she bolted out with them on her heels. Trixie grinned widely "It's called the enigmo slug. They found one in a cavern near here." she explained excitedly.

Eli raised an eyebrow "What's the enigmo slug?" he asked.

Trixie grinned "Nobody has ever seen one before. They were thought to be extinct and nobody, and I mean nobody has ever seen one transform before. We have to find it." she said eagerly.

Eli and Kord chuckled "Relax Trix, we'll find it. It could be fun after all, to find a whole new slug that nobody alive has seen." he said.

Trixie nodded "And if we hurry we'll be the only person searching so far!" she said, spurring the group on faster.

Unfortunately...they weren't the first. Eli looked on in dismay as he watched the men destroy the forest "Come on, we need to stop these men." he said.

Kord however grabbed his arm "You take those mechas down there and they will die the moment they get any of that mushroom salad in your engines. We have to go on foot." he said.

Eli nodded, climbing off the mecha. They quickly made their way down to the rampaging slingers which only served to irritate Eli as he watched them. Eli scowled, looking down at Joules "Ready to show them how it's done?" he asked.

Joules nodded as Eli got ready to shoot him, aiming at the men. As soon as he did Joules eagerly shocked all of the men, drawing their attention to Eli. Eli frowned "What do you guys think your doing? The slugs live here you know. And you are destroying their homes. What is your problem?" he asked.

The leader growled "What's your problem? Who do you think you are? The Shane?" he demanded.

Eli flinched at that, the truth of the statement more than a little startling. Trixie however stepped forward with a smirk "No. We're the Pronto gang. And don't you forget it." she said.

The men exchanged startled looks "Pronto? As in the same Pronto who's been giving Blakk problems?" one of them asked.

Kord nodded "Yeah. So if you want to continue taking down this forest you have to go through us." he said.

The men exchanged nervous looks which surprised Eli. Did they have more of a reputation than he thought? The men then changed their tune in an instant, turning on them and shooting flaringo slugs. Eli, Trixie, and Kord dived to the side, narrowly missing the flaringo slugs. They chuckled as they continued their pursuit, one of the slugs slamming into Eli and throwing him away from his comrades. When he landed he groaned, propping himself up on his elbows. Immediately he yelped, dodging forward to catch a slug that almost fell into a dangerous trap. He sighed in relief as the trap closed but the slug was in hand "That was a close call little guy." he said softly.

He then stood, wincing slightly before looking around getting to his feet. He sighed as he looked down at the slug in his hand "Well it's official. We're completely lost. So, what kind of slug are you? I've never seen anyone like you little guy." he said.

Indeed the slug was odd. Definitely the oddest one that he'd ever seen. The slug chirped heavily before leaning to one side, falling off of Eli's hand. He grinned as he quickly caught the odd slug "Careful there bud. Don't want you getting injured." he said in amusement.

He then sighed "Now come on, lets get going and find my friends. Would you like to join?" he asked.

The slug nodded in eagerness, saluting happily "In that case welcome to the family Mo." he said.

He then began navigating his way through the forest, following the sounds of slinging. When he did find them his friends were full out blasting against the enemies. Eli scowled, pulling out Glimmer, his phosphoro and shooting him up in the air. Glimmer caused quite the light show that attracted all of the attention to Eli "Hey! That's enough! What is wrong with you people? Especially laying traps like this." he said, tossing the trap on the ground.

The men exchanged confused looks while Trixie and Kord exchanged dark looks. "That's my trap." a voice said darkly.

Eli jumped in surprise, looking as a voice walked out of the woods, truely scaring the other men "Stalker. I didn't know you were here." one of them said nervously.

Stalker sneered "Well now you do. So get out of my hunting grounds." he said.

The men yelped, turning tail and fleeing. Eli however scowled "Hey! Your traps could have seriously hurt someone. Including the slugs. And if you don't abide by that then how about this, what's the enigmo worth to you dead?" he spat.

Stalker scowled "What would you know? Your a child." he said angrily.

Eli crossed his arms "A child who obviously knows better than some stupid slug hunter like you." he said rashly.

Off to the side Trixie and Kord face palmed but Eli ignored them, glaring defiantly at Stalker. Stalker than scoffed "Besides, why would you care? One of your little baby slugs almost stumble into one of my traps?" he asked.

Eli scowled "No. But it almost killed this little guy." he said, holding up his newest edition to the team.

Trixie looked at him in disbelief "Um...that's the enigmo." she said dryly.

Eli blinked before looking at the little slug "Your an enigmo? Well that explains you being different, huh Mo?" he asked.

Stalker scowled "So you've already begun bonding with it? Of course. Unfortunately that slug is going to cost me a lot of money so I'm going to ask you right now to hand it over." he said.

Eli scowled, putting Mo in the blaster "You want him? Come and get him." he challenged.

Stalker responded in kind, shooting his own slug. Unfortunetly for Eli...it was Mo who rebounded. Eli grunted as Mo slammed into him, landing on his shoulder with a concerned chirp. Eli then gasped when he opened his eyes, seeing about three of everything. Trixie groaned as she came towards him "I completely missed it. What did he look like when he transformed?" she asked.

Eli shook his head "I kinda didn't see. In fact I kind of can't see much of anything." he said, glancing in her general direction.

Trixie nodded at that, carefully slipping the concerned slug into Eli's back back before pulling him away and away from the crazy slug hunter "Come on Kord, we need to go." she said.

Kord nodded in confusion but released a flatulorhinkus slug to throw Stalker and his slug hounds off of their trail. They then disappeared into the woods, listening as Stalker screamed in rage. Eli winced as he stumbled, his vision still going haywire "So you can't see a thing?" Trixie asked as they ran.

Eli shook his head, feeling distressed "No. It's more of I can see to much of everything." he said.

Kord looked at him in concern "Enigmo?" he asked.

Eli nodded "Hopefully it I get shot with Mo again it will reverse it." he said.

Trixie nodded, grabbing his back pack as they ran, trying to coax Mo out. "Floppers. He refuses to come out." she said.

Eli frowned as she handed him the pack back and he put it on, stumbling on a mushroom. "Alright, it's time to give you a lift." Kord said, grabbing Eli and lifting him up with a yelp from said teen.

Kord however held on, allowing both him and Trixie to pick up the pace "Stalker won't hurt the rest of the slugs, right?" he asked.

Trixie smirked "If I know Stalker's rep, no. He'll hunt us down for a few days but with luck he will give up. Though if we cross paths with him again he will understandably hold a grudge." she warned.

Eli nodded "Okay. I get it." he said.

He then grinned "But at least we have the enigmo. He will make a great friend, don't you think?" he asked.

Trixie shook her head in amusement "Eli? Your insane sometimes."


	9. Chapter 9

**So I forgot to mention a few things last chapter. One is yes Pronto will appear at some point. After all where would the team be without their tracker? And one thing to note is this is following canon of a sort. I admit I am taking a few liberties with the ages and I won't be doing all of the episodes simply as they don't fit in with my altered universe. But some of the episodes hold some importance to the characters along with lessons that i feel needed to be learned. As for why it's following the plot that's because in the original series Blakk defeated Will Shane. In his eyes he was suddenly free to move at his own pace and take his time. It wasn't until Eli stepped in that he started really moving because that was the first time in years he had a threat to his plans. In this not only is Will Shane still out there, even as likely distracted as he may be, Blakk only knows that now he has not only the Shane against him but some new upstart that is actually succeeding. He's being forced to move his plans up by years just to keep head way. That being said I hope you guys still continue to enjoy this fic. I really did have a lot of fun writing it and now that I'm getting the chapters saved and edited I've got up to chapter 12 ready for posting and up to chapter 20 written. I really do hope you guys stick with me until the end. I'm going to have ups and downs because honestly while I loved the series of Slugterra I plan to cover the little I feel it was lacking. I just hope you all continue viewing the same world I view when I see it through my eyes.**

Eli cheered as he jumped over yet another obstacle "This is awesome! I can feel the power difference!" he shouted over the wind.

Kord grinned "You're welcome! This gives me lots of practice! These mecha beasts are fun to work on!" he said.

Eli just grinned even more eagerly "Glad to provide your entertainment." he said.

He then whooped in exhilaration as he neared the hoverbug they were chasing. "Careful! If it reaches velocity we'll never catch it!" she warned.

Eli nodded, his eyes narrowing in focus. He reached out his hand, trying to grab the hoverbug. He chuckled as it looped back and out of reach. He then focused as he began nearing a cliff, getting ready to jump. His heart leapt as they all jumped, soaring over the cliff, lined with jagged rocks under their mechas. One wrong move and they would die. Unfortunately that wrong move wasn't too far off and wasn't a fault on their part. Eli yelped as his mecha zapped him before shorting out. He shouted in alarm as the mecha began falling towards the rocks. And judging by his friends screams he figured the same had happened to them. Quickly he pulled his blaster, getting Spinner and shooting below. Spinner created a net that fortunately managed to catch them.

Eli breathed out a sigh of relief, looking up "Everyone alright?" he asked.

He then looked up at the hoverbug "Great run little guy. Sorry if I startled you." he said. The hoverbug crooned, rubbing against his neck. Eli smiled at that, helping the slug into his back pack.

He then glanced over at Kord "Any idea what went wrong?" he asked.

Kord shook his head "No. But we need to get off these webs before I can properly check them." he said.

Eli nodded "Yeah. Let's get on solid ground and set up camp. But for our sakes, be careful." he said.

break

Later that night after the cavern had dimmed Kord had several lights set up, looking up at the mechas and testing every possible thing he could. "Anything?" Eli said, Trixie leaning over his shoulder.

Kord scowled in frustration, tossing his wrench to the ground "I have nothin. Not a single thing. I've checked, rechecked, callibrated, wired, and done anything else I could possibly think of. But I can't find a single thing wrong." he said in frustration.

Trixie frowned "It wouldn't by chance be a problem with the upgrade, would it?" she asked.

Kord frowned "A problem with the upgrade?" he asked.

Eli nodded thoughtfully "It would make a little sense. But wouldn't we have heard about it before?" he asked.

Kord shook his head "No. I have a friend on the productions list. I get all of the upgrades weeks before they come out. We are the first ones to test all of these out." he said bitterly.

Eli cocked his head "So basically if you went in with a problem you would be considered a technological hero?" he commented.

Kord perked up at that "I guess that's true. Nobody else would have realized the issues and if they did release it then they would have a lot more issues on their hands." he said.

Eli nodded "So what do you say? Shall we go talk to these friends of yours?" he asked.

Kord sighed at that but smiled "Yeah. We'll head out for the beast forge in the morning." he said.

break

When they arrived at the beast forge Eli couldn't help but stare in awe "That is enormous." he said, looking straight up at the towering building.

Kord chuckled "But of course. we cave trolls have far to much pride in our skills to only do things by halves." he said proudly.

Eli lookednat him in surprise "Cave trolls are in charge here?" he asked.

Kord nodded "What better mechanics will you ever find in all of Slugterra?" he asked.

Trixie nodded "It is true. So you've been here often?" she asked.

Kord nodded, knocking on the door "Grendal and I go way back." he said.

He then stopped, a frown sliding into place as a human opened the door "Uh...is Grendal around?" he asked.

The man narrowed his eyes "No. This place is under new management. What can I do for you?" he asked.

Kord frowned "We were testing out the new upgrade wen our mechas went haywire because of it." he said.

The mans eyes widened in surprise "You already have the upgrades?" he asked in alarm.

Kord nodded "I'm on a specialty list to get them delivered to me first." he said.

Hearing this Eli frowned, leaning over to Trixie "How does he get them delivered to us if we are always camping?" he asked quietly.

Trixie smirked "That's why he usually branches off. He has them delivered to certain drop points by telling them where to be delivered depending on where we are at." she explained.

Eli nodded at that, glancing over in surprise when the man invited them in "We get a tour?" he asked in surprise.

Kord nodded, his movements a little bit stiffer than usual "Grendal always let me. It was company policy. Especially since I am their field tester." he explained.

And for some odd reason Eli thought the guy leading them did not look happy about that. He frowned, glancing around. It was obvious Kord was tense and if Eli had to guess it was that something in the area seemed off. And Eli trusted Kord's instincts. He frowned as he saw a few men look at them warily, their grips tightening on their blasters. It took every effort for the young Shane not to do the same. He then frowned as the guy leading them directed them away from a door. He couldn't help it. He was a teenager after all. He carefully slipped away from the group, moving to the suspicious door. He glanced in, frowning as he saw something that seemed out of place. Quickly he slipped inside, his eyes narrowing as he looked around. He knelt down to avoid detection as he looked at the machine. It was adding an odd red substance to the core of the mechas. "That's odd. It looks almost like...ghouling." he said softly.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" a voice demanded.

Eli tensed, slowly raising his arms as he turned to the men, his eyes narrowing in anger. "Don't get any clever ideas." one of the two men warned.

Eli smiled "Clever? Surely you guys don't think of a harmless thirteen year old as a threat, do you?" he asked.

He then shifted into a role that he rarely used. And usually only to get something he really wanted. He looked sad, rubbing one arm and making himself look smaller "Truth is I got separated from my group. I'm completely lost in this place. It's all so huge and I just can't figure out left from right. Could you...could you please help me?" he asked, looking up at them pleadingly.

The two men exchanged looks before sighing in relief "Yeah. Alright. Sorry for suspecting you. We've just had a lot of trouble with a kid who looks similar." one of them explained as they turned their backs to lead him away.

Eli smirked at that, pulling out his blaster "I'm one hundred percent aware." he said before launching his gazzer slug at them, forcing them into fits of laughter.

Eli grinned at that, rushing past them and away. He wasn't a fool. They would raise the alarm the first moment he would. And sure enough they did indeed raise it. Eli scowled as he ran through the halls, trying to dodge his pursuers. Unfortunately this place was as large as he was saying. He groaned as he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Even where his friends were would be helpful. Suddenly he stopped as he heard an odd sound "You'll be sorry if you don't let us out!" a voice shouted.

Eli quickly changed track, running down an abandoned hallway. He frowned as he stopped by a door, glancing inside to see two eyes looking out at him. Cave troll eyes. Quickly he opened the door, the figure rushing out at him in a fury. Eli yelped as he dodged "Hey! I'm a friend! I'm only here to help!" he said in alarm.

The figure stopped, looking at him in surprise "You're not working with those goons?" he asked.

Eli nodded "Yeah. I'm pronto. I'm trying to help out. My friend, Kord, came here because we had an issue with our mechas." he explained.

This time the man dropped his guard completely "You're a friend of Kords?" he asked. Eli nodded "Yeah. Are you Grendal?" he asked.

The cave troll nodded "You bet I am. But tell me, where is Kord?" he asked. Eli instantly paled as he recalled what was going on. If they had detected him...were Trixie and Kord in trouble too?

break

Eli panted as he followed Grendal through the halls. He had suggested what room they were likely keeping Trixie and Kord. Especially after being informed of what they were a part of. Eli didn't hesitate when his guide pointed to a room. He rushed forward, slamming into a door and firing. To his luck the impostor head mechanic was there and his rammstone connected roughly with him, knocking him to the side. He then loaded Chiller into the blaster, shooting at him to freeze the lava. Eli sighed in relief as he saw his friends, currently unharmed in the circle. Quickly he jumped down and untied them "Eli! You made it just in time bud!" Kord said.

Eli smiled at that "That's not all I did." he said, looking up at the other cave trolls who moved around the circle.

Kord grinned "Grendal! Your okay!" he said happily.

Grendal nodded "And ready to take back our forge." he said.

Eli nodded "First we need to get to our mechas. They are ghouling them and to make this a fair fight we need to save our mechas." he said.

Trixie raised an eyebrow "What? Ghouling a mecha? Is it even possible? Or to even cure them?" he asked.

Eli nodded in determination, loading Doc into the blaster "Yeah. I know it is." he said.

He had faith in Doc's abilities. Unfortunately there was already some one else waiting. All of the false mechanics and a gigantic elephant mecha. Eli winced "Buy me some time." he said.

His friends nodded "Can do." Kord said, both splitting off.

Eli then took off, racing for Lucky. Unfortunately the elephant mecha went after Eli. Eli scowled, quickly shooting off Doc at Lucky before dodging the foot that tried to stomp down on him. Around him his friends fought fiercely but Eli couldn't focus on them. He jumped out of the way once more, sighing in relief as the elephants pressure sent it crashing through the floor. Eli the gasped as something plowed into him, Lucky growling fiercely over head "Easy there." he said nervously.

He then gasped as Lucky placed a heavy paw on his chest, holding him down. Eli could barely breath as the weight pressed down harder. He could only hope Doc hurried and got his job done. Fortunately at that moment Lucky backed off, looking normal. He sighed in relief as Doc popped out of the nose "Thanks Doc. Think you can do it again?" he asked.

Doc nodded and so Eli responded, shooting Trixie's mecha before shooting Kords. Both of them immediately hopped on their mechas to truly join the fight as more of the mechanics joined, taking down the false mechanics with ease. After all, this was their home turf. Soon enough it was only elephant left. Eli quickly charged at him, shooting but his slugs bounced off harmlessly. Unfortunately when the elephant mecha swiped at Eli he couldn't dodge. He gasped as Lucky got knocked to the ground before being stepped on, effectively pinning the thirteen year old to the ground. Eli looked around but felt his heart speed up as he saw his blaster laying several feet away. The false mechanic smirked as he got out of his mecha "You fixed your mecha beast. Good for you. But this doesn't change a thing." he said, pointing his blaster at Eli.

For a moment the fear showed on his face before it morphed into fierce determination "Just you watch. We will stop Blakk. I guarantee it." he said.

The man laughed "Who do you think you are? The Shane?" he asked.

"No. The Pronto Gang." Kord suddenly cut in before blasting the guy with a rammstone, knocking him into Grendal.

Grendal smirked as he cracked his knuckles "I'm going to enjoy this. Wee man." he said before punching the man.

Trixie sighed at that, going to help Eli to his feet "So now what?" she asked.

Eli grinned "First off we cure these mechas. After that, you guys should be fine here right?" he asked Grendal.

Grendal nodded "Indeed we should. Next time we will be better prepared against Blakk's tricks. And we are honored to work with you young Pronto. It is nice to know someone is helping out." he said.

Trixie smirked as she held up her camera "And with luck now we have enough footage to show the world exactly what Blakk is capable of. And hopefully we can even get the Shane involved with the clean up. Then we can really get Slugterra back on it's feet." she said.

Eli smiled at that, feeling a bit sad "Yeah." he said.

But he couldn't help but wonder...how much longer would he be allowed to stay?


End file.
